Prospective graduate students
Enrich your knowledge and career prospects with a MSc or PhD from SFU's Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology department.
Application Deadlines
The BPK graduate program admits students in all three semesters, Fall, Spring, and Summer. Late applications may be accepted on a case by case basis.
| Intake Semester | Applications Open | Application Deadline |
| Fall (Sept-Dec) | October 1st | January 31st |
| Spring (Jan-April) | February 1st | August 31st |
| Summer (May-Aug) | September 1st | January 15th |
Required Application Materials
Before your application will be considered completed and ready for review it must include the following:
- Transcripts of previous degrees
- Cirriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Interest
- Three references
Unofficial transcripts can be used for the purpose of application. Official transcripts will only be requried to be submitted if offered admission to the graduate program.
Statment of Interest
There is no official formatting requirements for the statement of interest. Some format examples include short essays, formal letters, or less structured pieces of writing. While there is no word or page limits, typical statements submitted by applicants are between 1-2 pages. The purpose of the statement of interest is for reviewers to get a sense of who you are and why you are interested in the program you are applying for. Applicants can introduce themselves, explain their research interests, and include any information that may be relevant in evaluating their application as a whole. You do not need to have a full research proposal prepared for your statement of interest but there should be enough detail to determine how well your research plans or interests fit within current research being done in the department.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
See Graduate Studies: Admission Requirements for detailed minimum admission requirements for both Canadian and international applicants.
While there are no requirements for the exact subjects your previous degree(s) must be, you must have enough background knowledge to be successful in a research based program in the field which you will be working within. Previous experience and education can be discussed when reaching out to potential supervisors. Faculty supervisors will have an idea of what kind of knowledge and experience they look for when considering students and their fit within their existing research.
HOW TO APPLY
For instructions on the application process see Graduate Studies: Application Process
Please indicate on the application which semester you are applying for. If you have missed the deadline for applications, please contact the Graduate Program Assistant (bpk_programs@sfu.ca) for further instructions and application possibilities.
Before admission into either of the thesis programs (MSc or PhD), students must have a supervisor. Thus, applicants should contact potential supervisors and discuss a supervisory arrangement prior to submitting their application.
Application Review Process and Timelines
Applications are typically reviewed beginning after each respective submission deadline. Only complete applications will be reviewed. If applications are missing materials or references after the submission deadline has passed, applicants can contact the graduate program assistant (bpk_programs@sfu.ca) if a deadline extension is required. Applications that are completed after the submission deadline, however, will normally not be reviewed until after the first round of applications completed by the submission deadline have completed the review process. Late applications will likely be delayed in recieving official descisions post-review, and may not be able to be considered for entrance awards.
Review Process
Completed applications are reviewed by the graduate program committee. Once reviews are completed the committee will discuss applications and come to a decision on whether or not applicants will be recommended for admission to graduate studies. Applicants that are recommended for admission will be submitted to graduate studies for a final review. Graduate studies will send official offers of admission to successful applicants.
It is often not possible to provide exact estimates of the time it will take from the start of the review process to when official descision will be sent to applicants. Applicants can anticipate waiting at least 3-4 months before hearing back with an admission descision. In some cases the graduate program committee may determine that further information is needed from either the applicant or intended supervisor and so require additional follow up. Applicants will be contacted if the committee requires any further information or documentation in addition to their application.
Questions?
For questions about the BPK graduate program, including program requirements, application help, and more, contact the BPK graduate program assistant
For questions about international study permits or visas, contact SFU International Student Advising.